A copolymer of carbon monoxide and an ethylenically unsaturated compound, especially, polyketone having a structure in which repeat units derived from carbon monoxide and repeat units derived from the ethylenically unsaturated compound are substantially alternately connected to each other, is a material that can be applied in various uses because the polyketone has an excellent mechanical property and thermal property, and high wear resistance, chemical resistance, and gas barrier property.
Since a high-molecular compound of alternating copolymer polyketone has a high mechanical property, a high thermal property, and excellent economics, it is deemed to be useful as an engineering plastic material. For example, since the polyketone has high wear resistance, it is useful for use in parts such as a gear of a vehicle; since the polyketone has high chemical resistance, it is useful for use in lining materials of chemical transport pipes and the like; and since the polyketone has a high gas barrier property, it is useful for use in lightweight gasoline tanks and the like.
In addition, in the case where polyketone having a ultrahigh molecular weight and an intrinsic viscosity of 2 or more is used in a fiber, high stretching can be realized, and the fiber can have high strength and elastic modulus as a fiber oriented in a stretching direction. Thus, it becomes a very suitable material to be used as stiffeners for belts, rubber hoses, and the like, stiffeners for tire cords and concrete, building materials, and materials for industry.
A polymerization catalyst used in preparing the polyketone is typically composed of the system of Pd(II)/bidentate phosphine ligand/acid.
For example, a palladium (II) acetate/1,3-bis[di(2-methoxyphenyl)phosphino]propane/trifluoroaceticacid(Pd(OAc)2-BDOMPP-TFA) system was developed and was commercialized by Shell Company in 1999.